Wig Studio 1 News
Why the Big Deal about Blonde? And what about Red?
(Pictured above: 100% HUMAN HAIR BANG BY RAQUEL WELCH )
Blondes heads up! Not only do women find blonde hair attractive, but men do too. And some men have a preference for red-heads. What makes blonde or red hair such a big deal? It seems there is a “scientific” reason, or would that should be a “biological” reason?
I’ll explain, but first let’s consider this: There are almost as many shades of blonde as there are personalities. From warm caramel blonde to the most silvery-white platinum. Most of us who wish to jump in the blonde pool can find a shade that’s right for us. We all know that shades of color are important, but I am continually amazed when I see women with colored/bleached hair or women with blonde wigs that have done themselves a disservice. All blondes (or red shades) are not created equal and all shades won’t work on every woman. Be picky, investigate, learn about skin tones, and undertones, and try a wig boutique if you can, to see the shades for yourself, and in indoor and outdoor lights. (And if you go blonde or red from a brunette shade, especially a darker one, remember to change your makeup!) Yes, it matters.
WHY are blondes considered “above average attractive” to so many people? There is a bit of science behind the answer. Don’t believe that it’s all Hollywood’s fault (think Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield in the fifties). Here is what the “experts” tell us: blonde gives a woman a kind of eternal youth look. But the real reason, even more, “experts” agree on is this: the scarce is always more attractive. And this is where science comes in.
If we go back in time, we would see a lot of people with the same coloring, shades of brown for hair, and eyes. It was the way we evolved from darker to lighter as humans migrated to different parts of the earth, some having access to more or less sun. When more southern groups stumbled onto the groups in the far north, those who had been in those Nordic areas, for example, they found people with lighter hair and eyes because they had adapted to the climate by their DNA changing to let more sunlight into their bodies. The blue eye color was a mutation, and those mutations have continued to this day. It is common to find light eyes in the majority of natural blondes and many others of northern European ancestry (myself included).
Now, the really interesting part: Blonde hair originated through a kind of genetic necessity. There was a time when there was a shortage of food and males, leading to a high ratio of women competing for a smaller number of partners (Evolution and Human Behavior – 2/27/2006). Academic researchers have discovered that women in northern Europe evolved with light hair and blue eyes at the end of the Ice Age to stand out from the larger group so that they could attract the mate they desired. It was later when the Neanderthals came on the scene that the red hair gene started to spread among the populations. Scientists argued for decades about whether they intermixed with the more modern human. They did. More current ways to verify that have closed the argument. So, in reality, that red gene is just as rare or more so. We see it today in Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia in higher numbers, but the red-head gene originated in central Asia. It’s due to a mutation in the MC1R gene that fails to produce sun-protective, skin-darkening eumelanin and instead causes pale skin, freckles, and red hair. Unfortunately, some cultures equated red hair with witchcraft for a few generations, and this
gene didn’t spread as fast as it might have. Blonde women have their myths too and they are found all over the Nordic areas. Two of the Norse goddesses, Sif and Freyja were blondes.
Blue-eyed people (who are becoming even more scarce now) for example, can trace their ancestors back to ONE person who lived about 10,000 (give or take) years ago, near the Black Sea. The research was published in the Journal of Human Genetics. They identified a single mutation in a gene called OCA2, which arose by chance about 8,000 years ago (best guess currently). This gene turns off the mechanism that produces brown melanin pigment. Originally, as I noted earlier, all humans had brown eyes.
In the end, the most likely theory that most can agree on is that blonde hair and blue (or green) eyes arose because of sex selection. This is where males and females choose their mates and those with “special” characteristics. So, we are back to the value of what is scarce.
Why skin tones are important in picking hair color: Those humans from Europe and the Near East have many characteristics that set them apart from the rest of the human race. Not only are Europeans far more likely to have blue eyes (some green) (95 percent in some Scandinavian countries have shades of blue or blue-green) they also have a far greater range of skin tones and hair colors than any other ethnic grouping. So good news! Those of us from European ancestry (a lot of us) are in the position of having at least a few blonde shades that work for us because we all have that varying skin tone advantage. I am British-Welch-Irish-Swedish/Dane-Scottish-Norwegian-German – in that order of percentage, the DNA tells me. My ancestors were hanging around in northern Europe for a long time. Most of my family has blue or green eyes—still. Only when they marry someone with brown eyes (dominant gene) does the brown win out for their children. I am not a natural blonde, but a very light brunette. But now, since I know that skin tone is the big thing, I know that I can find a blonde shade that is right for me.
So, if you find yourself drawn to the blonde shades, you’re in good company. Listen, you brunettes, if everyone goes blonde or red, pretty soon YOU will be the scarce ones!
Until next time,
Vickie Lynn
Intervention: Box Hair
At long last! You’ve been stationed at the mailbox, sitting on your beach chair waiting for the UPS driver’s impending arrival; the updated UPS text message informs you that the moment of unmitigated joy is just around the corner. And here she is! You cradle your next acquisition to your ever-growing collection and embark upon the process of disengaging your new hair unit from its packaging.
As you do so, there appears to be a slight issue. Something about the wig seems wonky. The lace front looks perfect, there seem to be no defects whatsoever as you thoroughly examine the piece. Ah, you now come to the realization, your wig has been asleep; more accurately, oversleeping in her box for way too long and now has suffered from the affliction we now know as the dreaded “BOX HAIR”.
Fear not, in this video we will view a Do It Yourself (DIY) Intervention to ameliorate this situation. Our subject for the video demonstration is Arrow by Ellen Wille in the color Platin Blonde Rooted 60.24, regular synthetic fiber. This method is applicable to heat-friendly fiber as well. Arrow was provided to me by Wig Studio 1. Additionally worn by me during a portion of this video is the style Scorpio, basic cap in the color Moonstone by Rene’ of Paris, also available from Wig Studio 1.
I hope you enjoy my intervention video, as I think outside the box on how to wrestle with the box hair challenge. And always remember; if I can do it, so can you.
Best,
MichelePearl
“On Being a Blonde Detective”
The world of blondes can seem as convoluted as splitting the atom. Now I’m no Einstein but I can certainly read a color chart. But if you think that’s going to be much assistance in decoding the numerology of your next blonde crowning glory it might be easier to figure out how to be in two places at the same time.
Let’s say for the sake of argument we look at the color by Henry Margu in 10/613 GR. Seems pretty straightforward, 10 is a Medium Golden Brown, 613 is French Vanilla Blonde (sounds more like ice cream but okay). GR stands for gradient dark root, light tips. Upon further research, I have discovered the following: “Light Ash Blonde with Platinum Blonde Highlights and Medium brown roots”. Really? Seems to me you can sooner judge a book by its cover than select my next wig based on the above description. If there is Platinum in there why didn’t I get the memo? Because my dear partners in crime, where is the number 101 mentioned which is the official number assigned to said color “Platinum”? A secret code perhaps? One only a “color detective” can decipher? And if so, where is that Agatha Christie when you need her? As for the number 613, is that not a pale natural gold blonde? Or is that applicable only to another brand’s color chart?
Moving on to John Renau’s Palm Springs Blonde, FS17/101S18. Ah, there is the 101 Platinum, I knew we would find it somewhere except this was not in the description, which I was as mystified as anyone to read: Lt. Ash Blonde with Pure White Natural Bold Highlights Shaded with Dark Natural Ash Blonde. (No mention of Platinum) but okay, so much for math, and if nothing else let it be BOLD. Is Bold a color or an attitude? Or is that the attitude that you have when you wear the color?
As we further investigate this color conglomeration we know that FS translates into Fashion Syrup making me hungry already and 17 is a Medium Ash Blonde (Shaded meaning kinda rooted) signified by an “S” and 18 Dark Ash Blonde.
Assuming I am not alone in my confusion I have decided to provide my only key to help unlock this mystery. Clues are provided in the form of visuals; color comparison photos and also a video. Sometimes it seems playing by the numbers works as well in choosing a blonde as it does at the Blackjack table at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas.
I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing my take on this challenge, this blog is composed for educational and entertainment purposes.
Best,
Michele Pearl
